No more chalk talk

Break out the erasers. No longer is this year’s NCAA Tournament bracket dominated by chalk picks.

Opening day on Thursday brought two measly upsets, and each was of mild significance — No. 9 Texas A&M beat No. 8 BYU; and No. 6 USC lost to a No. 11 Kansas State team that was playing less than 200 miles from home.

But the second day delivered the goods. It brought a collection of upsets like never before and Friday the 21st became Friday the 13th for lofty seeds as a pair of No. 13 seeds advanced.

Rarely have the No. 12 and No. 13 seeds advanced to the second round in the same tournament. On Friday, it happened an unprecedented four times in the same building.

When the tournament bracket was revealed last Sunday night, the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa was labeled as a bottom-feeder site with no No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seed. Ditto for Denver.

But the bottom-feeders trolled in Tampa.

No. 12 Western Kentucky outlasted No. 5 Drake in overtime; No. 13 San Diego edged No. 4 UConn; No. 13 Siena dominated No. 4 Vanderbilt; and No. 12 Villanova capped off an upside-down day by beating No. 5 Clemson.